He's up just killing Mike aka Michael Render check me out on the Bootleg CAF podcast.
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get into the interview. Blutleg cab Podcast man special guest in here mister. Album of the Year yep, Grammy nominated again right three one time? Last time you got fucking you got what I'd like to call snubbed. The Jews got snubbed, that's what they say.
I just I remember being broken, but.
You were, but you were right R T j F should have been nominated, I think so. Yeah. Yeah, Well listen, it's all good because Michael is nominated. Killer Mike is here.
Yep, welcome, what's up?
You do have the Album of the Year I have my list, You're number one. My number two album is not even a rap album, but I'm gonna do my hip hop list, but you're number one by far Man.
Thank you. I said that to you too. Yeah, you know what I mean. That's it.
I know a lot of people just be saying crazy shit because they've seen it work for other people over the years, But having had put to work in, I wouldn't.
I wouldn't have bullshit it youself.
No for sure. Now. Yeah, you played me a version of the album about two years ago in Atlanta, and some of the stuff made it. Some of the stuff is didn't make it. But you've definitely. For people who don't know like and haven't heard you speak about the album, you describe it as kind of like your Wolverine origin story.
Yeah, you know, Ronald Jules is very much the X Men. It's like don County X Men. Any number of characters will pop up in and out, and you know, depending on who your favorite character was, you knew their origins when it came from and stuff. Wolverine had always been
logan one of mine. Logan I love Magneto is the reason, part of the reason I named my company villain, Like, yeah, Magneto is part of the reason I even call my company villains, because I believe villains aren't necessarily bad guys, you know what I mean, They just have a different agenda in terms of solving a big problem. But all that to say, Run the Jewels man, rest in peace
to Lola, you know what I'm saying. Gangster Boo, Zach Dyala, Roca Hami, Ma Staples, two Chinese big boys, all these people have been a part of them Run the Jewels universe. And I realized that my character Killer Mike, this bad, swaggering dope ass him. See that essentially his nine year old kid named Michael, created and built out of his imagination. The story of Michael had never gotten told. I never people didn't know where Killer Mike came from or why.
You know, people interpreted confidence and is arrogance and shit like that. But you know, when you grow up in the middle of hip hop, hip hop's you know, been around fifty years, but it's been given a lot of a lot of kids, a lot of little boys, you know, reason to hold they chin up, yeah, swagger. So you know, I had to realize that I had to introduce myself to people.
Yeah, I mean because this is your first solo album since rap music. That's crazy. And for people who don't know, rap music is really what kicked off Run the.
Jewels yep, yep, it was pre Run the Jewels.
Yeah, And it's crazy to think, like I feel like eleven years ago was three years ago.
Yeah, it does.
It feels three years ago, but it's crazy, like we've had a pretty crazy historical run that you've been a part of an LP and like, you know, I know you took your time with this project, and I'm just glad man that, Like the Grammy's got got it right.
I feel like a couple of years ago, like you know, there was a couple of Grammy nominations that I was glad to see Royce got nominated and Freddy Gibbs got nominated, And when they nominated you a couple of times this year, I was like, thank.
God, well three times three times yep yep, two four Rap Song of the Year, Rap Performance of the Year, and Sciences and then at Rap Album of the Year, and that's what that's what, you know. I ain't gonna lie want it, you know, I want Rap Album of the Year because I'm proud to be a rapper.
Yeah, no, I'm damn proud to be a rapper.
A lot of people, you know, they they get rap Album of the Year and they like, that's a snub. You know what I'm saying, people have acted as doing the past, Well, I deserved the album the year. Well I personally feel like, yeah, I gave you the album of the year in terms of depth and human emotion, vulnerability and vulnerability. I gave you what music is supposed to give you, whether it's the blues or rock and roll, or soul or funk or rap.
I gave that to you.
But I care and covet Rap of the Rap Album of the Year because for the last fifty years, this has been a driving, you know, cultural force in this in this country. You know, rap wasn't even my music first. He was my mom's music. My mom was only sixteen if she had me, So the first music I'm hearing from her is disco and early rap record you know.
So it matters to me because of what rock Kim gave to me, Eric being rock Kim, because of what run mc gave to me, because with Outcasts and Goodie Mob gave to me because of what nas first two LPs especially gave to me. You know, when you start talking about Farside, what they gave to me Dale the hieroglyphic and they gave to me.
I win that award.
I'm going to be the proudest person to have ever held that award, you know, because I give a day. I'm about being a rapper and an MC. This is not a secondary job. This ain't some shit I did because I couldn't play sports. This is not and that's no slight to anyone. I was just too chubby to play sports. What's your frame of reference, Mike. Some of my best friends want an NCAA championship with u C l A. One of my other best friends got got
got drafted to the Buffalo Bills. Most friends radd office. So I knew, yeah, I ain't gonna be no athlete. I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the best god damn rap out of my friend groupe. So I care, And I think that a lot of MCing is based on these days kind of acting as though you don't care.
But I care. I want it.
I also think like you have one of the more unique paths to a Grammy nomination. If you just look at the way your career played out, like obviously coming out with Outcast and the whole world is where a lot of people were introduced to you. Obviously, you know, your first album was incredible, and I feel like your first album isn't on.
Spotify or Monster. I don't know.
I don't think monsters.
I still ride Old School, so it's in.
The Monster because I'm pretty sure it's not on your Spotify account.
I still ride Old School, but no, but it's crazy.
And then you have your grind, your grind time rap rap ship where you're dropping mixtapes and you're dropping records like like you're you're really on your ship. I mean I first heard Peel through You and a bunch of a bunch of young artists out of Atlanta. I discovered through those projects. And then Rap Music is one of the best rap albums ever in my opinion, and it kicks off this whole unexpected journey of Run the Jewels
last decade. And you know, in a in a world in which rap groups, duos, et cetera don't exist anymore, you guys have thrived in a way that like, really, it's like y'all in the migos.
Yeah, you know what I'm saying. The rest in piece of takeoff.
That's and for you to take all this time to kind of reintroduce the world to Michael and get the acknowledgement, get the nod. Man, It's it's just a beautiful thing to see. Man.
I appreciate you.
I wont it so, you know, y'all, y'all send me some preyer, some good energy, and hope we moved on. People hearts on that, you know. Vote for Vote for the person who, first of all again has put put together the rap album of the year and beyond it. I really, I really give a damn about it.
Yeah, and like I always so so like obviously when I first heard the album, I always wonder a couple of things, because you and your lady are amazing. You guys are you know obviously she's She's been talked about by you a lot. I bet your wife a lot. She's cool as hell. Big When did you give Shay heads up about the summer record, Like, Hey, I'm gonna write I'm gonna write this song about this X fling from back in the day.
No, it wasn't my fleeing was my girlfriend.
I don't like, Hey, guys, ball up now, don't just be be a real nigga about you know what I mean? And you just your wife was in love with somebody. Folks, she met you, even if she was eight like you, ain't one.
Of one count h It's very rare that that actually is the case. Man.
Your grandparents say they was, but my you know, yeah, I can now know my granddad, my grandmama was a verge. I can't tell you my grandfather was, you know, you know, I.
Such a dope storytelling record.
Though, yeah, she had already heard the story because we talked as my friend of course, you know, so I think that that it wasn't a.
Need though to say, hey, I'm gonna rap out this.
I think she was just like you finally got a chance to get it off your chest because it's something that I've been with and it's been with me, and it sat with me. And when I played the record for men and for those who might not know what he's talking about, that you shouldn't be out there, but you know, give Slummer a listen. It's a story of me at fifteen sixteen, falling in love with a girl who's a year too younger than me, and I was
living like adults essentially for two summers. I'm you know, I'm thinking I'm trapping on rich or you know, she in the apartments or subsidized, so they like, we got many bills, but we live like adults, and and we get pregnant, and I have to go through the abortion process, you know, with her paying for it, and man, I played it for dudes, and dudes wept and they say, man, nobody had ever expressed how I felt. You know, I
hadn't even been considered that I had feelings. And we know it's traumatic for the girl, for the woman, absolutely it is. And they deserved all the seeing, all the support around controlling their bodies.
They deserve.
But man, them little boys and the men and these young men that have had to take part in that, there is no body sometimes to put the arm around the shoulders. I know that was a difficult decision to make. And I know it's gonna it's gonna stay with you, or let me tell you, it's gonna stay with you. You know you're gonna feel a way about it, you know. And so I was honored to be able to do it in my and my my My wife is glad I got it out of my chest. You know now She's like, no, you can stop talking.
World the story now for you. Man, you have a lot of vulnerable moments on this album. Obviously A Motherless to Me is like one that really really stands out. I know, I want to say, when you played the album for people who don't know, you had like a really cool album listening thing here in l A that was like a Masonic temple or it was it was a cemetery. It was a cemetery.
It was a cemetery.
But I remember, yeah, it's like, yo, you're joining the Illuminati.
That's exactly with three.
But no, I know you got really emotional talking about that director because it's about your mom.
You know. Yeah, my girl, man, Denise, she's she under here. Her and my grandmother. My mother was sixteen years old.
When she she had me, and you know we just grew up together.
That was my girl, you know, like that's the first person that introduced me to rap music. That she was up, I mean, being sixteen.
She's also kind of your friend.
Yeah, she was like my big sister, right, you know what I'm saying that's who taught me how to dance with a girl, right, you know what I'm saying, That's who taught me how to how to approach a girl. You like, that's who. That's who taught me how to take no shit, you know, don't be no sucker. And she wasn't no single mom. You know, my I had two dads, you know, my dad who's biologically my dad, and my dad she married. I had grandparents that raised me, grew up in a you know, a man and a
woman household, raising me and my two little sisters. But me and my mom just shared the special bond and friendship and kinship. And it was around you know, her saying, you know, I wish I could be soft throwing you about some stuff that you the only boy I got, so you got to be a man. But at her heart, she was an artist, so she she encouraged that about me, you know what I mean. So I just man, I just I want to I want to lead a life that makes her proud.
Sension for you looking at the nominees of Rap Album of the Year, Yeah.
The Motherless record.
I'm sorry that record just to say I got emotional about that record because because I miss her. So anybody out there who has a mother, no matter your relationship, check in because.
I think we take advantage of this.
My mom. My mom told me, she.
Said, you know, I know you think your grandmother is your mama because she she raised you. But I'm your fucking mama. And it's that's kind of conversation had. And she said, and when I when I go, you're gonna understand that. And the day she died, I've never felt that emptiness. And and I know it doesn't get feeled and a.
Lot of people don't realize that until that day happened.
It happened.
Yeah, I didn't shit. She told me, you know, I you know, I you know, I tied and make all friends. I you know, I gotta, I got. I have placed my house while honor. But with that said, like man, I wish I could have said it while she was I get it.
It's such a beautiful song. Really, I mean, that's a record that I feel like I could have been nominated.
For a Grammy.
It could have been, it could have been, should have been, would have been. It'd be one day who knows, you know, now be mixed the album or something. But I just know that I got to cover it all album of the Year and an album to live to.
Yeah, I was just saying, who do you see as if you're looking at the other nominees for Rap Album of the Year. Yeah, I got my opinion, But who do you think is the album you gotta worry about?
I don't know.
I just know that I've listened to them all and I like parts of all of them, you know, and I respect the artists involved. But what I'm saying is as as I could sit down Drake and Savage, I could sit down Nas, I could sit down Travis Metro, and I could sit down with Metro, said metrosca produce he put together Mars. I could put those artists in a room and I could play my album, and something about my experience in my life is going to affect all of them off that as in a deeply personal way.
And you know what I mean, Like you know, in a deeply personal way. And I don't say that to be in competition with but just saying I made an album that we all can bleed to. I made an album that we all understand addiction, We all understand the precio preciousness of a mother. We all are black men in North America trying to understand and make our way. I don't care what color Drake is in terms of
how people argue about this biraciality and shit. Since he's been coming to America, he knows he's a black man if he's been in Atlanta, right, he knows he's a black man if he's been in Houston and Memphis. So there's something on here for the worker class, the black man and the women who love them, for all of us.
So I believe that if we sat down at the table, I could have that argument with those men and say, this is why, like amongst the fraternity and brotherhood of MC's at their table, this is why, this is why I should and listen to this, and it'll pierce your heart the same way as piercing the audience.
This or for sure, man, I think it was an like almost It's like a much needed medicine of hip hop. It's like somebody actually is making a vulnerable album to like live to, not to turn up to, not the TikTok too.
It's just well, I mean, you can still do it all. I mean the intro of Dawn by Law made a TikTok. I was like, God, damn, I'm gonna have to get in shape. Everybody gym shit was you know, the journey over talking and and with that said, exit nine, you cruise to this is record you play in fifty six minutes later after you drive from here to Pomona.
Man, You've like, I've just had experience. I feel like I saw a movie.
This is This is an album where when you clean up your house, by the time the album in, you done finished that chore man, your laundry done and folded.
It is a it is a classic album, and.
That it feels good, even the sad parts, even the parts that make you think about a reminisce on stuff that, but it makes you feel good.
You feel more human after it.
So you know, I'm just glad to be the conduan for that energy, because hip hop deserved.
That in his fiftieth year.
In the fiftieth year here sure.
When people are talking about what sales are down, and y'ad, y'all, yeah, I didn't. I didn't know about sales in my first ardo. I just knew I felt something when I heard it. It made me feel something, and that's what I did.
I'm curious. I first heard of a new Andre three thousand album when you spilled some beans that you weren't supposed to.
Spill stone Man, but when you when you revealed.
That and then kind of walked it back at that moment in time. But you know it was a flute album.
I have no comment on any of it is I know if you want to Andre three thousand verse, there's an album called Michael and it's on the song called Scientists and Engineers and you should listen.
Have you have you gotten high to the to the Andre album because it's a great album to relax, to go.
How to got Stone? Well, I'm stone here, I'm stoned. If I'm listening to Metallica, I'm stoned.
But I.
I was curious to hear it like everybody else. And I play and I smoke and I'm going to probably eat some shrooms. It's music I'm proud of. I'm proud of Dream Big Boy because they are out of a talent program called Tri Cities High School that also produced Eskate that also produced KP one of the greatest income yep I sat the KP KP the great DJ as well.
It just produced some amazing artists and those guys like I tell you, by keeping an inner child alive, big boys kept it pushing and going, giving us new styles, variants, whether it's fan of gram or whatever whatever new.
He's introduced so many artists to us, so many.
I love him and with Dre, Dre just being an artist in that waiting until he's ready to make art, to make art and get people interested beyond what they thought they were interested in. I think it was amazing. So I'm very proud of him. I'm very proud of be you know, cut Master Swift or DJ did all the cuts on Michael. He's coming back in with us. We do make more music because he's an amazing trumpeter singer,
so we you know, the Dungeon family lives. Pat Ray and Reek still doing beats, like I mean, I gotta beat on riding around right now. So for me, man, I'm just I'm proud that that for whatever, for whatever compels you, he's being compelled to do something.
Mm hmm.
Yeah.
It's crazy because I just had a Victoria uh Jene Monday. I was Gonnay Victoria name gene Mo name on the show and we were talking. We were talking about her her purple ribbon run. Yeah, because I don't think a lot of people like kind of give the proper respect to that, like that of artists.
Big boy is a.
Big boy is an amazing He's an amazing guy in terms of pig and talent and doing business for sure. Sometimes you just a little ahead of the curve.
Yeah, all stars are so good and it was like so many names you're on there, like oh shit, oh shit.
Rest and rest in peace of Nate, super Nate, down of cancer, Lass Ships, rest in peace to him. Shouts out to Black on seabone, Little bro No, shouts out to Sleepy Brown and shouts out to now bubb shouts out Bubba.
For sure, Man for you man, talk to me about like you know, I know, Uh, the focus is Michael. How many times have you been in with LP in the last like twelve months working on music? If any.
Man, we've been together because we were touring. We haven't worked on.
Anything working on these you guys had the tour. By the way, I'm still very mad that the Rage tour never happened for me to see with my man.
I wish you would have COVID New York, COVID and I'm glad Zach is heeled up back on the mean and congrats to all the guys they got introducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame rightfully. So, Yeah, the way run the Jews usually work is l trevects off into the will. You know, he treks off into the wilderness somewhere and probably like kills bears and eats them and lives as a wild man and then comes back with the plessoro of beat.
I feel like you'd be the guy that killed bears and eat them.
Now, I'm definitely down to. Usually we prefer killing deer and hog where I'm from.
But just went hog hunting with that Mexican No tea you.
Had fund out Texas, you had if you have had a ball, right, it was so much fun. Who dressed Who dressed him for you? They already had someone on site to dress the hall cook and make sausages all that for him, not cooking.
But we just killed him and left.
No, that's what we did. No, you're not supposed to do that.
I swear to God this. In Texas they're like past I don't know.
No, but you're you're supposed to eat them. It's a hall, you know.
So we so we killed a couple of them and then we came back and like a pack of coyotes or.
That's destroyed them. That's good.
Yeah, I'm just saying you're not so you know, I know they're like getting so fair out there there, but you kill I killed something, I'm gonna eat it like I'm sorry. I'm not sports fishing. I'm not putting a fucking bass bag that basket collar, basket it. That's my grandfather saying, I'm ednit it.
Yeah, No, I mean I kind of felt because I've never been that's the only time I've ever been hunting.
You're good, though, you should do it. It was fun. Everyone should do it. At least, you know, at least gets out once a year do something.
We also were doing it out of helicopter.
Yeah, I've seen it. I've seen it.
Colinor shouts out to Colinor, who an interview with years he he go, I saw him. I've seen him go out and lean out the helicopter and I had a video of himpoo.
That sh it was dope.
Yeah, we're going on a hunting tangent up back to you in LP so lp he goes out and he kills bears and does whatever.
Yeah, and he comes back with the plethora of beats on a hard drive, like like what do you think?
And and what what do I think? Is usually oh shit, this is the fucking album and like sequence and everything. Damn. They're like, oh my god, this is it.
And and then we were just in there. We're just in there. It was vibing more than right. We just start playing ship. Like he came out here. We were out here.
I had forgot when it was. It might have been a year or might have been just over, but he came out.
We were in different hotels, but he came over to a spot I was at and he just played something for me and he had part of a verse on it, and I said, oh let me, let me, let me get in there.
And I went in there.
Man, I spas on this ship like I'm like, oh shit, So you know, to me, I'm just like I want to finish that one.
And whenever we finished that.
One, we might get five.
I mean, it's got to happen one day. That's something I cheered for.
But again, we're just you know, it's when it's gonna happen, Like when it happens, but until it happens, Michael. If you're looking for dre verse Michael, or if you're looking for one, I got LP versus I got both hull of Michael.
And it's like and even the record with LP on the album is like different for you.
You got good dope on the street. That's all I'm telling you.
Man, We still here for you. Man, you want to run the Jewels, you need to listen and don't let the devil. It's a it's a no I d beat with LP different like LP chopped it. So yeah, and Taco Taco was on a drums on that right ye up, little Shallamar, Who's who's the one to run the Jewice Co Producers?
He was on there. So yeah, Man, So I got the dope, you do, man, Come get the dope, man, Come run it up?
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Yo.
Have you do you see my tweets, like once every two months, I tweet that you should run for president? Have you seen these tweets I share every two months, I'm tweeting, what killer Mike just run for president?
I don't want them people to kill me. I want to wrap. I want to build something.
Would you ever like, like I knew you've asked been asked if you'd ever run for office, but like I could see somebody getting elected eventually and making you a part of their cabinet.
You know what, I remember when I think one of the Bushes put Arnold Schwartzenegger on their cabinet over physical fitness. And that's one thing I've seen in my life. I said that made all of sense in the world now, because you see Arnold and you're like, yeah, I'm like putting a brain surgeon who I have an enormous amount of respect for. Over housing. Urban development was a little quirky for me. But doctor Ben Carson grew up in
the housing projects. I would have liked to have seen doctor Ben Carson while he was over the housing projects, institute some type of mandate that that gave kids options and benefits from already?
Is it, Pete? No?
I thought Pete was doing transportation. Yeah, I could be wrong, but you could be over here. But I always thought that that was an opportunity missed because I thought that if Ben could have figured something out between a bank, between health hood and education, that we could have been educating kids right in the housing projects. Differently, So if I did something in the cabinet that made sense, I'd be honored.
To But I doubt you, So you'd be open to that.
I'd I'd be open into that because I could, I could do something effective and I wouldn't have to prostitute myself for money because the person that hired me would have already done that.
Like, had the DNC not like fucked over Bernie Sanders, I feel like you'd be You would definitely have You would definitely would have been in the cabinet.
Yeah.
I was a really believer, you know, and whatever the old guy was, even if I wouldn't have been the cabinet, would have I would have helped in any way.
You guys are It's crazy because like you are such a leader, and I feel like, you know, when I think of like the word activists, that as a word that gets thrown around and I think about like how you and Bernie show up to like the Amazon.
Strike Yeah down in elevant. Yeah, I'm saying that's.
Something that like you're working on albums, you're touring, but like somehow you still find the time, you still find the energy to like still stand up and just be the voice of the voiceis well.
You know what, It's not just me, you know, And I consider myself a product of the worker class in this country. I am you know, both my dads, my grandpa, my grandma. You know, working class people, hard working, decent people, field integrity, good morals, and they just wanted better. If they made mistakes, they learned from those mistakes and push forward. So you know, for me, I'm not the only one.
You know, when you when you look at Senator Nina Turner, I feel like she should be the leader of the progressive movement in this country.
You know.
I think I think that for us to talk about it, and I'm talking about my community, on the black community, for us to talk about progression and not be talking about her actively is damn near crime. Like what's wrong with us? It's like ignoring Malcolm in the sixties, which people did you know that people ignored Malcolm in after he was dead, all of a sudden he had more fandom. And because of people like Dick Gregory. You know, when people say celebrities don't mean much, because of people like
Dick Gregory's name stayed alive. People like Spike Lee, his name stayed alive. So for me, you know, my thing is Teslin Figaro, who now pops up on the Breakfast Club. You know, has her, has her, has her own podcast, and it's also does work with Revolte. Teslin is an amazing political mind. And part of the reason I stay, you know, just in know of what it is is
because I constantly communicate with people like Nina. I constantly communicate with Nina, with Teslin, you know, Jennifer Farmer's amazing publicist out of Berney campaign. It's just some black women in Ohio in but it's brilliant when it comes to you know. So my thing is stay in touch with the people doing the work and less of an organizer now because my day job takes me away, but more of a mobilizer.
How do you get people there?
By the time doctor King was maybe two three years before he got out of you know, he was assassinated by this part this government. My belief doctor King was a mobilizer when he show up, they knew people were going to show up. But people organized on the ground included people like John Lewis and Crudi, people like Reveren James and Warner. Included people like Stokely Carmichael, you know, you know, also known as Kwame Tour. That's who we need.
We need more of y'all. You know, I'd love for another Killer Mike to pop alone, you know what I mean. But until that happens, you got to congratulate the people that are working their ass off to try the best they you know, try to be the best they can be. And I think that they are worthy of our support locally,
but look hyper local. I want to tell people that don't be so enamored by what the television is telling you to argue about with the before you even get to your counselman, what do your ten neighbors think of the street? I learned this first from my grandmother. My grandmother didn't like the way sanitation was leaving people garbage cares. She didn't think enough care concerned, and so she took
it the city council. She was angry with about it, and she would didn't get satisfied when she heard, so she went and sat in the mayor's office till he saw her. She literally just went it, sat in here until too until she can plain, and she still didn't
get what she wanted. And within two weeks we want Channel five News was my grandmother saying, this is how they do the black folks, black community All of a sudden, we've never had issues sanitation again because that black mayor wants to get elected, that black city council person and they say they want to do good for the black community. Well put our barberge cans down respectfully, because we respectful people.
We clean our yards.
And it's just she was my hero in that fashion, and I want more heroes like that because that's the way you create a killer, right, you create a Fanny new Hamer, you know, you create you create all these people that care, that aid, the people that may be the tip of the spear, you know, Theynard rushing. You create these people by being hyperactive. So whoever on a local level in your town is doing something takes some time to help them out.
I was gonna say, like it feels that what would be your message for people who are so just exhausted with the process because it feels like a hopeless, a little cool landscape nationally world worldly things are like obviously we got we got.
Wars going on in the world. I say, listen to what I just told you.
Yeah, just focus on what you because what you can really control is your neighbors, is you could you.
Know if you all do a little nobody gotta do a lot, val you do a little bit, a little bit.
I'm wondering, man, for you, have you thought about uh, my boy, Jelly Roll just had a speech that viral.
Jelly Man, Thank you. He was.
Jelly was one of the first d ms I looked at when I got nominated, And it's just I've been cheering for him all year.
Yeah, and it's crazy because people don't realize he kind of comes from that like underground white.
Like you know, I'm a Southern so you know little white Jelly Roll all it. Yeah, you don't.
It's not yellow Wolf, my brother, Like, yeah, you don't. You don't miss it because we all from the same place. Might have been a trailer park, might have been, a project, might have been, might have been, but it is and it's like, so I was cheering for him, and we share a lot of similarities, you know what I'm saying.
You guys each have very unique past to where you currently are.
When I heard his Grammy speech, my sister, my sister said it to me because she loves him to death, and she said, she said, he said, she said, it sounds like somebody I know, get your speech ready.
My co hosts from my radio show, James Andre Jefferson Jr. He's like, man, you know, he goes to a black church every Sunday and he's like, man, they played Jelly Roast speech at church.
Bro it was like, yeah, hey man, God, God, God gonna make a way.
Such a crazy like it's just so dope to see somebody like that who's been like a peer of friend and just to have just this whole other like and if you ever have known Jelly, you know, he's always been this guy who you're like, Man, if people just talk to they love you.
If they gave you a chance. So many people and again, congratulations, Jail. I love you, I love you, I love your family. Man, you and your wife are bomb. I'm happy for you. I look forward to forty fifty more years of you just doing it dope.
I am.
My thing is man, Just give folks a shot my things. I didn't want to die without you really haven't met Michael, and give me a shot. I knew you hadn't listened to me because everything you say you missing a rap.
I already am.
I was already given you dope, you know, And I'm glad that you didn't or you turned deathfeit to me for as long as you did, because it gave me an opportunity to find the discipline through Run the Jewels of how to take two and a half years to make Michael. It took me ten years of being Run the Jewels to understand I am building a community. I'm not just talking to an audience. It took me ten years to understand now seven years because it started about
three years ago. It took me seven years to understanding. Now it's time, you know. And I take it seriously and not seriously to the fact it ain't fun or you and your old lady can't get blasted to it and go to the Flying Chicken see something drop. But I take it seriously and that I'm trying to give you or no, I've given you a level of quality that you deserve as a listener. You know, hip hop is looked at as something that does not involve high art and culture, or if it does, it doesn't involve
it from a working class standpoint, you know. Somehow in order to be of high standard, you have to be collegiate or you have to wear you know, weird shit with weird fucking names. You know, I'm wearing an ebbits Field jacket and I feel stylish as a motherfucker because this motherfucker made in America and it's about football, and this is the good jacket my grandpa put on when he wasn't working, you know. And that's that's what That's what I'm a That's what I'm about. I take pride
in this ship. I take pride in the fact of knowing that whether it was Pony or Puma or.
Nike, we did that. We created sneaker culture. Nike doesn't happen without hip hop and its capacity. It just doesn't. Starter starter, does it happened?
I can you can literally name anything.
It doesn't. It doesn't happen.
So Linciaga, I take this ship, you know what I'm saying, Like, I.
Take it that seriously, I love this ship. I love this ship to my core. I love the ship. Want bones. This ain't some shit I'm doing on the way to somewhere else.
You know, you guys have done such a great job of in a world in which it feels like the business model of being a rapper is uh, extremely hard if you're especially an independent rapper.
Right, Like, it ain't easy.
It's not easy because if you're just looking at what a million streams pays you, right, it feels like almost like a hopeless climb up a mountain in order to really make a career or be able to just support your yourself, let alone your family. Right, you guys have done such a good job over the last ten years
of monetizing the brand. Right, what are some things that you're doing with Michael, whether it's obviously the tour was successful, you know, I think always tell people like, if you're if you got a fan base and you're not and you don't have a hard weight, obviously people are gonna stream it, but you want them to buy the twelve inch vinyl, You want them to buy a CD, a tape.
Man, I'm not gonna pretend to be no mastermind. I follow. I follow my brother currency man shouts out there, man who's on the album? Yeah?
Him and him and two Chinese. They on my dope boar record. Usually your dope board record. You're hearing we sold the most dopeer. Sometimes dope boys just throw a dope barbecue and invite all the other dope boys can come out, and you see their cars, and you get motivated to do good in school because your mama tell you they did.
Good at school. That's why they got it.
That's how our record hits me when the spaceship views, so I got to figure out shoots under that. But Spiter, I love the relaxed ways to hint like him and move some move like cause it's just he do what's genuely him.
I remember going down there when he had the car shop.
You can go get your brakes and funk around me, have a thirty minute convocause there you.
Know, crazy, did you get your brakes done?
And you're hanging out with you know what I'm saying, like, that's that's the kind of shit I'm into. So I've just leaned into the ship that I love and like my wife and I built in the swag shop over the last eleven years. I bought that when I was recording rap music. I sold my ninety five in Paula and bought the swash shop off Craigslist, the first swag shop.
And I've been to that one.
Yeah, yeah, ye, that's Rosewell Highway.
We got one on Edge. We we got one to State Farm, Marina. We rolling out two to three next year. You know, I'm like, I've had eleven It took us five to really kind of figure out what we were doing. I just always wanted to have a barbershops, cool place to hang out. I have to wait in line. But what we realized doing COVID, especially when we closed, moms were dming me like, don't close y'all shops. Y'all shops is one of the only places that I can bring my boy. I know he's in the company of good
men with integrity. I'm treated with respect. There was just and then they said, man, we love when y'all do the little T shirt drops and stuff. So we were like, man, we're gonna have to be paying. Let's just press up some shirts. And what we realized is, man, you are a brand operating as a barber shop.
Yeah, so I think I got a new era.
Yeah, so we got we got new era stuff coming. We got more T shirts and stuff coming. We got more product, everything with cigarette lighters. That's trade cool stuff coming. But we're a barber shop, and we've spent some time figuring out what kind of shampoos I like. I hate the smell girly, so it's not like I'm using a girls stuff. I hate the I don't want to smell like old spice like my dad, you know what I mean.
So we developed.
I got a shampoo conditioner thing coming out. I got some shaving cream coming out, beer bong. I just got some cool stuff that you can just buy. When at the shop, you're getting to get in a haircut. So I'm excited about that to see what that's going to do, because I know that as a man, I don't like going into beauty supply stores.
As a guy.
When my Jordans dropped, I might, I might not have no problem paying two hundred dollars for the Jeorans, but I don't.
Want to play one hundred and fifty dollars for a T shirt. Hey what up?
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Let's get back to the interview. What's your favorite j my favorite? J I my favorite? Let me give you my favorite all time Nike the eighty seven Air Max.
Okay, you got their maxes on now.
Yeah you got what? But yeah, so that that's my favorite.
Jay's I just whatever, yeah, whatever, Jordan threes, You like the three threes?
I like the four to me is the most all three or four? For you?
The three is very uncomfortable, but it's just such a.
I probably like the silhouette of Afford event.
Amazing, No, it's it's and then yeah, you know you guys just dropped your own nikesb's.
Yeah we did. We did, man, we did.
Hey, what's up with are you ever going to do a new season of the Netflix show?
It was so trigger we don't see something cool? Amazing? Thank you man, we got some I got the chops for this ship man.
So and then you had a show on Facebook.
But yeah, that was the one kill Mike.
That's going back to so yeah, but but the trigger Warner was the one.
The trigger Warner was one.
The fact you like the crypt colaod pop yeah, legendary.
We got more coming, man, we got more coming. It's it's. If you haven't seen it, go watch it and just hit me up and let me know what you think about.
It's still on Netflix, still on Netflix. Do you feel like we're turning the corner? I mean, obviously the name of the shows trigger warning. A lot of people for the last five or six years get triggered easily and our there's a lot of online outrage. You've been subject to some of that when you're did with the gun thing.
People were coming at you crazy.
But I wonder do you feel like society's turning a corner when it comes to like some of the like more sensitive, like people just have been like all time sensitive.
I don't know, I don't care. I've learned my lesson. My grandfather was who he was for a reason. I bet you, if the world go down tomorrow, the power grips shut off, I bet you, my family and me, you got you, We'll be okay.
Is the crip sustainable?
If the ship stops tomorrow, I'm gonna be okay.
That's what I'm saying. It matters of being triggered. I just like to tell people, man, don't let that anxiety get to you. Man, just take care of yourself, you know, do right by yourself and do right by other people.
Because if you.
Keep worrying about what the world's gonna do, you never gonna take time to live. You donna spend your to waste your time worrying. Now, just you know, in telling whatever your version of the truth is, just remember on the other side of that truth is somebody else is thinking or feeling their logic. And on the other side of that may be some repercussions and whatever those are, they are. But man, I make sure my kids watch George Carlin. I make sure my kids watch watch what
you're prior. I make sure my kids because you need to make sure that there's a healthy human distrust of systems.
M And I think we've gotten rid of. Like what you just said is like, however you feel, whatever your truth is, the other side, that's their.
Truth, you know, make it the truth.
It doesn't make it the truth. But there's gotta be some dialogue.
I smoked.
I got on a plane to come out here, and I watched something my gay uncle watched thirty years ago, and I just was too young to even understand to watch it at all. And I got a chance to see a lot of stuff because my parents were so young. The other kids wouldn't seen. But Parents is Burning such an interesting movie. You know, it's about these gay kids in New York and about these drag balls that they're throwing. So but but what I learned about poverty. And I
had a friend named Kevin Man. He was an amazingly brilliant organizer. He was a kid whose parents, because he was gay, had kicked him out, and he lived in a foster home of sources. And I saw him be used and abused by older men in terms that you could tell the story. I was hip enough to know if he came out black Eye son happened, you know, that kind of ship. But it made me really have even more empathy and love for him. He's gone now, you know, God bless it dead. But I saw these
kids that were just from positive it's poor kids. So they talked about how how at first with the older guys at that time, they had you know, done big feathers and balls and things. It made them feel good about themselves. It was an alternative feeling of poverty. And then the kids got into a designer you know it was it was Eve Saint Laurent, that kind of thing,
and they presented themselves that way. But I didn't know there were all these sub categories of what was real or what could And I just said, Wow, this really is a group of human beings that created another reality for themselves as a as a as an autonative and pain and desperation. Essentially, I participated in that through hip hop. Essentially, kids who are who are sports heads participated that. If you hear somebody ever talk about jiu jitsu, and you'll think they're talking about a religion.
You know, you know what I'm saying, what I'm saying. So for me, that helped.
Expand my understanding in a way that I cannot go forward not understanding, you know what I mean. I can go forward disagreeing or agreeing, or go forward without understanding exactly. And that's so for me. I'm I'm on a mission or journey of life trying to understand more.
I always say that about like the abortion thing, Like however you feel about the abortion thing. I mean, obviously I'm a pro choice guy within reason, but like the other side, I get if you feel like it's murdered. I can't even say nothing to you. I understand your perspective, and I understand why you're so passionate about it. I might not agree, but you got your stance, and I
get it. People have to be more like aware of like other people's perspective because you work with people who you don't agree with every day you're you're you're gonna stand in line next to somebody a subway with somebody done with.
Them to hear them out, and you could disagree. I got a television show called Love and Respect. We just want an Emmy for it. I want a day and want to amy for interview with Bernice King, doctor King's youngest daughter.
Doctor me. M okay, you his daughter.
But this show is all about just having conversations with people I might agree or disagree with, you know, and and I've disagreed with blatantly liberal people disagree with blatantly conservative. And and my thing is at the end of each talk, though I know I've connected more to another human. I think that should be Ultimately, that's would be what we're pushing for. So even in matters of business, if I'm selling the product just because it's from a place of
my own humanity, I wanted a barbershop. I think barbershops are cool places to buy my T shirts and socks because I don't want to buy the fucking gas station. So my barbershop sells a branded heath, a gray, black and white teeth.
That's fire.
Get your white tea right there, and it's and it and it matches your jay's it's the same, healthy.
Great. You get what I'm saying, You know, I don't.
I don't want to go into beauty supply store with with with with my cousins, with the fucking caps on their head and my little nieces running through that bit. So you can buy your chef who's the self right there? I want it So I want to create business. That's natural, you know to me. I just got like thirty thousand the square foot of squarehouse space in Atlanta. We're going to be doing our own you know, similar ship studio stuff. Man, you know, so I just I'm just trying to leave a legacy.
You're doing recording studios or yeah, just.
No prompt film and filman film in and audio. So you're gonna be able to do recording studios. You're gonna be able to record.
Your Podcastlanta's the new Hollywood man. Yeah, I think I think Tyler Perry his paces.
He's a man man.
He watches I didn't know I was so heavily involved, but they used me a lot of his his prime movie that entary yet.
Yeah, I want to watch it because he.
Is powerful and inspire.
He's like the boss.
How he's powerful.
This guy should have owned bet right now. They fucked that up.
Well, signs don't happen. You know, you don't get it the first time, you know, no.
But it's crazy. He's sure on a black person.
You're on BT Hey, I agree, but we're gonna see it's gonna happen byron A Byron Allen wanted it too. Yeah yeah, I think you know, I think fifty took us out of it. I want to see I'm cheating full so all to win.
Yeah no, fifty, I was just well, I want to We had a there's a network that somebody just left recently, and I was like, what if fifty came in and ran that network and had all his own Like fifty needs his own network.
I think it's gonna happen, like he pops stars off. I think it's gonna happen.
Yeah, it's it's crazy. We'll listen. Man. The album is Michael a piece of art. Thank you, beautiful album. Everyone should go listen to. It is my album of the year. I really actually don't even think it's close.
Yeah.
I mean that with all due respect. Usually I would tell you if I was like and technically metro Booming came out last year and I love the metro Booming album, But this year, I don't think it's close. So I don't think it's close. There's not another album that has even made me quite because usually I'm like, man, it's by the time December hit, You're like, damn, it's like three or four. It's only one and then the rest.
And just sit down and if y'all and if y'all think is man, just sit down and listen. Listening off and hard. You ain't got to like me, but boy, it's gonna be hard not to love this album.
Your percent. Man, Hey, I wonder are you Are you going back on Rogan anytime soon?
I know that's yeah.
Rogan is yeah. Rogan first of all, definitely friendship. Love him to death and his whole staff over those guys are great.
Have you into the comedy Mothership yet?
Yes? I got went over there, stalled the ship solid.
I wasn't.
It was amazing.
He put me up in these little the Seatson in the balcony. It was held of dark. No one even knew I was in there was it was.
It was dope. I had a great time. Rogan.
Man, I just want to say, I just just man. He to me, Man, he stands on the side of truth tellers.
You know, I don't.
You don't always people don't always agree with him. He doesn't always agree with people. We don't always agree with one another. But man, there's something to be said for letting people have platform to just discuss agreeances and disagreeances. So I agree, you know, I value value it for that reason, you know, value him as a human for that reason. And he taught me the beauty of eating elk meat and peppers, because god damn.
Seeing those posts, I haven't ever had. Have you had elk meat?
Yes, you should have it. It's good.
It's a vendicent of sorts, you know what I mean, Sweet dear, you gotta remember, we eat deer hog.
You know, That's what I feel so terrible and Mexico he just killed hogs and left.
Yeah, I mean, like you shouldn't.
I mean, I'm just you know, I guess you ain't got to eat everyhow, but if you don't, you should eat a hog.
You kid had loaded them into the helicopter.
Yeah yeah, but sometimes there are trucks too that are out there, but they don't.
They don't eat any oft a holl.
No. They when my grandpa was from Man, they there's hog farms down there, so they you know, crow hog. They and they slaughtered a hog there and they'd already have dug a pit into the ground. So my grandma they cook the hogs above ground, right to keep my grandpa's from they cooked their hogs in the ground. Totally different type of flavor.
Are crazy, oh man, That's why I said the same thing. I'm like, guys, can we like, can we like take something from this hog? So feeling is bad? They're like, no coyotes to eat them. Somebody's gonna eat.
It, damn Like we just there's too many of them.
There's millions of.
That's what tex has got all the money. That's who you know, you're richest. Fuck you just go, man, I'm a little stressed. I'm gonna kills them.
Fucking hall That's really it.
Yeah, anyway, I appreciate you pulling up my love and respect. Well, first of all, congrats on the nominee. And I listen February, I think is when the Grammys.
February four, I believe. So I want to party with a mess.
So, hey, man, y'all send me a lot of good energy man, and you know the people on the Grammy community. Man, I just want to I just want to say, I want to employ that you get an album and listen with an over heart. Yeah, it's no better representation of rapping this fifty of yet in this album.
I don't even I don't know how the Grammys work. I just know that, you know, they've gotten some stuff right and they've gotten some stuff wrong. They got it right that they nominated you, and let's hope they get it right there.
Let's bring it.
You got to bring one of them three home.
Yeah, yeah, I want to, you know the one I want wrap Album of the Year covers everything.
Yeah, you know under Man there it is man Killer, Mike, my guy. Appreciate you. Respect, Yes, sir, yes, sir, A man of course. Want to shut out to our family at Hardean Baby Hardean, Las Vegas, celebrating their seventh birthday this month, So happy birthday to hard Dean. I want to give a shout out to the whole family over there. When you're in Las Vegas, you got to pull up to Harden, tell them that the Bootleg Camp podcast says
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